Expert: Robin Flynn - 5/16/2006

Question
Do you know if any country still have bears chained up through their nose? If so, which country, and how long have they been doing this for?  

Answer

Hi Angela,

There are some countries that do still use "dancing bears".
I believe it is most popular in India, however Indonesia and Pakistan also use them. It is now illegal in India now but the laws are not enforced and this horrible abuse still continues. This is a very old tradition in India. The Dancing bears date back , according to the Kalandars, to the 16th century.

The link below will bring you to a report written specifically about dancing bears in India.
www.apasfa.org/peti/dancing_bears.pdf

There is an organization that is trying to rescue these bears and help the people who profit from them, find new employment. Please click  the link below to read more.
http://www.wildlifesos.com/


What does bear dancing involve?

Illegal Capture-
Young cubs are stolen by poachers while their mother is away from the den or by killing her when she returns.

This illegal killing and capture of bears is seriously threatening populations in the wild.

Many cubs die from neglect or dehydration before they are sold for training.

Constant suffering-
All dancing bears have a hole pierced through their lips, nose or palate and a chain or rope forced through.

No anesthetic is used for this highly painful operation and, to make matters worse, teeth are often removed or broken to prevent injury to the handlers.

Tugging on the rope prevents these fresh wounds healing, and the bears find no relief from raw, painful infections.

The agony goes on, and the bear learns to ‘dance‘ in an attempt to avoid the pain.

Stress-
Poor diet has a disastrous effect on the health of dancing bears.

Many suffer from cataracts and go blind due to lack of nutrition.

The trauma of this unnatural life drives many bears mad and they display the repetitive, pacing movements, characteristic of mental damage.

These animals suffer unbelievably and hopefully this practice will end soon.


Please feel free to ask any additional questions.

Robin